Park district making big mistake

As a past volunteer builder for Ohio Nature Education, I find the recent actions by the Licking Park District to oust Ohio Nature Education from the Kraner Center to be both disturbing and poor administrative management. After the recent passage of a park levy, the LPD's reason for dismissing ONE was to instead foster relationships with larger corporate/statewide organizations like the Ohio Historical Society and Licking Memorial Hospital. In other words, after all the heavy lifting was done, the LPD wants a new dance partner.

I work from Columbus and travel throughout the state for the weatherization program, built on a quarter century of cooperation between government and local nonprofit community action agencies. It's a symbiotic relationship that's not only successful, but crucial. And there's plenty of room for other similar programs to help out. So why does the LPD pick winners and losers?

ONE is an established, experienced local nonprofit dedicated to animal rescue and teaching the public through traveling programs and direct exposure. They have a deep volunteer system, and the head of the organization, Manon VanSchoyck, runs everything like Swiss clockwork. Manon and her husband, Jim, don't do this around their regular jobs. This is their job. They increase property value, generate public interest and expand the breadth of the system through hard work and ingenuity. For those who think these organizations are plentiful, here's two words: they're not.

The LPD needs to build relationships, establish levels of community partners, and get real. Larger organizations won't accept ridiculous one-sided sweetheart deals any more than ONE would. Plus, bad relations on the local level don't encourage larger sponsorship. And in a time of government belt-tightening, voters will not come to the park's rescue when they lose money through failed leveraging opportunities. The LPD needs to wake up and mend fences. So far, what they seem to excel at most is looking several gift horses in the mouth.

Patrick Stuart

Columbus

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Park district making big mistake

As a past volunteer builder for Ohio Nature Education, I find the recent actions by the Licking Park District to oust Ohio Nature Education from the Kraner Center to be both disturbing and poor